How to Donate Shoes to Communities in Africa and Other Nonprofit Programs

Donating wearable shoes can extend their useful life and support access to footwear, charitable services, or small businesses. However, organizations use donations differently. Some distribute shoes directly, while others sell them to support services or supply entrepreneurship programs.

Before donating, confirm the organization’s current needs, accepted shoe types, and delivery instructions. Do not ship shoes internationally unless the receiving organization has agreed to accept them and provided current shipping guidance.

Prepare Shoes for Donation

For ordinary reuse or direct distribution, choose shoes that are:

• Clean and completely dry.

• Structurally sound and still safe to wear.

• Free of mold, significant holes, and strong odors.

• Equipped with usable soles, laces, straps, buckles, and other necessary components.

• Appropriate for the recipient’s requested sizes, activities, and climate.

Keep pairs together using the recipient’s preferred method. Acceptance policies differ. Some organizations require matching pairs, while Soles4Souls also accepts single and mismatched shoes from individual donors.

Do not send worn-out footwear to a program requesting wearable shoes. Direct-use charities and material-recovery programs have different purposes and acceptance standards.

Compare Donation Options

Soles4Souls

Soles4Souls accepts new and gently worn shoes in all styles and sizes, including sneakers, sandals, boots, dress shoes, and children’s shoes. Gently worn shoes must have useful life remaining and be free of holes and mold.

To participate:

1. Review the current acceptance instructions.

2. Clean and dry the shoes.

3. Follow the organization’s donation-form instructions.

4. Find an approved drop-off location or use its current warehouse-shipping information.

5. Confirm quantity limits and packaging requirements before delivering a large collection.

Used-shoe donations help support the organization’s 4Opportunity program, which works with entrepreneurs and small-business owners. This differs from a promise that every donated pair will be given directly to a child or distributed in Africa.

If you need donation documentation, follow the organization’s current process. Soles4Souls states that donors are responsible for assigning the value of donated goods. An acknowledgment does not establish the value or guarantee tax deductibility.

Shoe4Africa

Shoe4Africa supports health and education programs in Kenya. Its published shoe-donation page requests gently used children’s running shoes for the Shoe4Africa Children’s Hospital in Eldoret. It also asks donors to include a short note explaining the purpose of the donation.

Before mailing:

• Confirm that the organization is currently accepting shoes.

• Verify the requested sizes, styles, and condition.

• Obtain the current recipient name and mailing address.

• Ask about shipment-size limits and customs requirements.

• Confirm responsibility for shipping costs and any import charges.

Do not assume that the organization accepts adult footwear, every shoe style, or large unsolicited shipments. Its published request is narrower than a general used-shoe drive.

Because International and The Shoe That Grows

Because International offers an alternative to donating used footwear. Its product, The Shoe That Grows, adjusts across five sizes. The organization states that the shoes have been manufactured in Mombasa, Kenya, since 2019.

This option may suit donors who want to help fund new footwear rather than ship used shoes. Review the current campaign or purchase terms to understand what a contribution covers and where the shoes will be distributed.

Do not treat a retail price or temporary fundraising offer as a permanent cost per donated pair. Purchase prices, campaign arrangements, and distribution costs can differ.

Donate Locally When That Better Matches Your Goal

If you want your shoes to remain in your community, contact organizations directly and ask:

• Do you accept used shoes?

• Which sizes and styles are currently needed?

• Are there seasonal or condition requirements?

• Will the shoes be distributed locally, sold to support services, or sent elsewhere?

• Is an appointment required?

Do not assume that a local collection point guarantees local distribution. Ask how the program operates.

For Goodwill donations, identify the organization serving your area and confirm its current policy. Goodwill operates through a network of local organizations, so one location’s acceptance rules should not be treated as nationwide policy.

If Shoes Are No Longer Wearable

Do not donate wet, moldy, contaminated, or structurally unsafe shoes to a program requesting wearable footwear.

Instead:

• Consider professional repair when practical.

• Look for a textile or footwear collection program that explicitly accepts worn-out shoes.

• Confirm that the program accepts the materials and condition of your footwear.

• Follow local disposal instructions if repair, reuse, and material recovery are unavailable.

Keep shoes out of ordinary curbside recycling unless your local provider explicitly accepts them through a designated textile collection service. Dedicated textile collection is different from standard household recycling.

Safety and Legal Notice

This guide provides general educational information for U.S. donors. Acceptance policies, shipping instructions, customs requirements, fees, and donation-documentation procedures can change.

Contact the receiving organization before delivering or shipping shoes. Do not send contaminated or unsafe footwear to a wearable-shoe program, and do not arrange an international shipment without the recipient’s agreement.

Mention of an organization is not an endorsement or a guarantee of acceptance, destination, distribution method, or tax deductibility.

Sources

1. Soles4Souls: Give Shoes

   Acceptance standards, donation forms, collection locations, shipping instructions, and donation-documentation guidance.

   https://soles4souls.org/give-shoes/

   
   

2. Shoe4Africa: Shoe Donation Instructions

   Published request for children’s running shoes and instructions for donations to its hospital program in Kenya. Confirm current arrangements before shipping.

   https://shoe4africa.org/xshoesx/

   
   

3. Shoe4Africa: Main Website

   Information about its health and education programs and organizational contacts.

   https://shoe4africa.org/

   
   

4. Because International: The Shoe That Grows

   Information about adjustable footwear, manufacturing in Kenya, and current purchase and donation options.

   https://becauseinternational.org/

   
   

5. Goodwill Industries International: Locator

   Find the local Goodwill organization to contact about shoe donations and acceptance requirements.

   https://www.goodwill.org/locator/

   
   
   
   

6. Earth911: How to Recycle Clothing and Accessories

   Guidance on finding reuse and specialized recycling options.

   https://earth911.com/recycling-guide/how-to-recycle-clothing-accessories/

   
   

7. Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association: How to Recycle Textiles

   Information about dedicated textile collection and the distinction between reuse and material recovery.

   https://www.smartasn.org/smartthread-blog/2018/how-to-recycle-textiles/